The Legend of Zelda: Book of Time
by MirokuTK
Summary: Book 1 of 8. After an Inquiry from Link, Impa begins to tell the tale of the original seven sages. This book speaks of Zelda's ancestors and the prophesy that will change both their lives.
1. Prologue

**Been awhile sine I've posted a story or even a chapter and for that I am sorry. I've been almost done with my chapter for TKP for months now but I'm at the boring part and I keep getting distracted, and then I got inspired to write this so... yeah. I've decided to abandon MB for now but I might pick it up again one day. Anywho, I've already written 4 chapters to this fic but I've decided to post one per week (though 2 today), most for feedback reasons, also cause it takes me awhile to write a chapter and hgopeeflly in 3 weeks I'll be done with the 5th chapter**

"Princess, as one who will someday rule over all of Hyrule, it is important that you learn to be more patient

"Princess, as one who will someday rule over all of Hyrule, it is important that you learn to be more patient. There will be many times when you will be required to…" Impa began, but she could clearly see that the girl was not paying attention and was lost in the world beyond her bedroom window.

It had been six months since the Hero of Time had returned from his two year journey to find the fairy that had left for parts unknown. In the months before his leave however, the hero spent regaling the princess with tales of a time that could no longer be. Of a history where the man from the desert had claimed the triforce and the boy of the forest was forced to gather together the seven sages and together they sealed him away throughout time and space.

Had anyone else came to them with such tales, Impa would be inclined to believe them a liar, but this boy in particular had already proven himself capable of great things. She had seen with her own two red eyes the three spiritual stones he had gathered from across Hyrule despite his age and was also quite aware of the Princess's strange connection to time. And so when she instantly believed in him, her mind was set in stone that his words must be the truth, and that she herself would be awakened as the Shadow Sage if ever the seal to the sacred realm were to be broken.

With the boy's return, so came new tales of what he had seen, one in particular of a different world where the moon threatened to swallow the planet. Every few days, the boy would venture from the ranch where he now lived and spend the day entertaining the girl who had become one of his closest friends. This day was one of those days.

It was a full twenty minutes before at last there was a knock at her door. "Come in," Zelda beckoned hoping that good news would soon follow.

Carefully, a young woman, only a few years older then Zelda herself, opened the door to the royal chambers, "Your Highness, there is a boy here to see you, shall I send him up?"

"No, do not worry, I shall go fetch him myself," the blond haired girl smiled. Before Impa even had a chance to react, the girl had already taken off, an action that her caretaker could not help but think unbecoming of a future ruler, but then again, she still had time, the princess did not need to grow up to quickly.

Though only a few seconds behind, it would seem that Impa's age was beginning to catch up to her, being in her early fifties, finding herself struggling to keep up with her ward. As she turned the corner, almost immediately she collided with a young, blond haired servant boy, causing the objects he had been carrying to fly into the air. With her Sheikah reflexes, Impa manage to catch three of the scrolls, but another two seemed destined to fall to the floor. However, an instant later, two hands seem to fly out ant reach the remaining two. The nurse looked down at the boy, whom appeared to be around the same age as her charge, and handed over her scrolls. His blond bangs seemed to reach his nose blocking off half of his face. Yet still something seemed familiar about him, as though she knew him from somewhere, but at the moment Impa had no time to dwell on such things, she had a princess to protect, "You should consider getting a haircut kid, you might not have as many accidents."

"I will consider that," the boy responded politely as he rearranged the scrolls in his hands. Before the words even had time to leave his mouth however, the white haired woman was already off. He stared down the corridor at her for a moment with a far off look on his face, but quickly snapped out of it. There was still work to be done.

By the time the sheikah woman reached the front entrance hall, the princess was already embracing a boy clad in green, "Link, we were beginning to wonder if you had forgotten."

The boy's ears perked up at the mention of his name, "Of course not Impa, I just had some chores I need to finish up first. Besides, it's not yet even noon, we still have the whole day." It always amazed Impa that even after all the things he had seen and done, and how much he had grown, the boy still radiated the same warm smile he had as a child.

"Yes, of course. Let us retire to the royal garden so that you may entertain us with more of your stories," Impa suggested, despite the fact that it was their normal routine. The two children stared at one another for a moment then nodded simultaneously in agreement.

An hour later, Impa watched as Link Swung his sword, once again telling them the story of how he braved the Spirit Temple, "Hm, it's nice to hear you telling your old stories again. When you first came back, the princess begged me for a month to find her a deku mask," the woman smirked as Link's long ears perked in bewilderment.

"That is so odd, 'cause my Deku mask disappeared about a month after I got back," Link informed them, not noticing the princess beside him meeting the eyes of her caretaker.

"So anyway back to the story. What happened next?" the Princess asked, trying her best to keep her composture.

"Oh right, well anyway so there I was fighting against the Iron Knuckle. Bam, slash whamm!!" With each sound he made, so went another slash of his sword, something he realized early on seemed to bring his stories to life. "But then, when the last piece of armor fell, instead of a beast, inside was the very woman who sent me after the silver gauntlets seven years before. It turned out she had been brainwashed, and now that I had rescued her, the memories started to come back to her. But then out of no where, Twinrova arrived and…"

"Wait a moment, if you rescued her in the future and she was taken in your childhood, wouldn't that mean that she is still inside the temple in this reality?" Zelda asked, making the boy's blue eyes widen.

"Zelda, I am sure that a brave boy like Link probably went back to that temple years ago. One doesn't forget affaires such as these, isn't that right Link?"

"Um… yes, of course I did. It's not even a possibility that I forgot," the boy laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to um… go to the bathroom!"

Link seemed to rush out of the garden as Zelda stared off at him, 'I don't remember Link ever having to go to the bathroom before,' she thought for a moment as a strange melody seemed to float in from the next room.

* * *

**Two Hours Later**

"Where is he, I just can't understand what a teenage boy could possibly be doing in a bathroom for two hours," Zelda sighed in exasperation, her hylian ears falling slightly from boredom.

"Princess, perhaps now it is finally time that we had 'The talk.' You see boys, when they get to a certain age will…"

"Sorry I took so long, I got… lost, yes that's it, lost," Link proclaimed as he entered the clearing. Zelda expected for him to return immediately to her side, but instead, he approached her nurse, "Ms. Impa, I was wondering, do you know anything about the original sages? I mena, if there are already temples devoted to the sages of Hyrule, doesn't that mean there must have been others before?"

"Yes, I suppose it would mean that, however, I have very little knowledge of such things? Why the sudden curiosity?"

Link's mind seemed to wonder back to twenty minutes earlier, _'Where.. where am I?" the gerudo woman seemed to ask, now freed from her armor prison._

"_You are inside of the Spirit Temple, the same place you have been for three years."_

"_Three years… that damn Gannondorf, if he thinks he is going to get away with this, he has another thing coming, the woman fumed upon hearing the news. The truth was, all her action of those years seemed to be blurred. The last thing she remembered for sure was being taken by those two witches, and… and… that boy, the one she sent into the temple. She was sure it, this must be the same boy in front of her now._

"_You are a few years to late for that, Gannondorf is gone, and he won't be returning anytime soon," Link smiled, offering a hand to the woman laying on the floor._

"_Hm, I'm sure you gave him hell, kid," the woman smirked, it was obvious to her now that there was a lot more to him then she originally suspected, "But tell me, do you know why he kept me in this place?"_

"_He did it, in order to keep you from rising against him. I think he somehow knew that if he ever did break through the seal of the sacred realm, you would be one of the few who had the power to stand up against him." From there, the young boy continued to tell the story of his great battle in the alternate timeline._

"_So what you're trying to tell me is that I, Nabooru, Leader of the Gerudos, am the Spirit Sage destined to save Hyrule, give me a break," the woman mocked as the boy finished his tale._

"_Do you have a better reason why he brought you here?" Link smirked, confident that she would see the right._

"_Hmm, you got me there kid. But tell me, what exactly is a Sage supposed to do?"_

"_I'm not sure I know what you mean," the blond replied a puzzled look plastered on his face._

"_Come on, there must have been other sages before me, what did they do?"_

"_Well, I guess I never really thought about it before." Link admitted, and since then the question seemed to stick in his mind._

"Link, Link are you alright," Link shook his head clear of the memories and turned back to the grey haired woman.

"Yes, I'm fine, I was just thinking. I guess there's not really any reason, I was just wondering," he lied, wishing to spare himself the embarrassment of admitting his mistake.

"Well, if you truly wish to know, I suppose we could always check the royal archives. Many a lost legend is contained in those tomes, perhaps the knowledge you seek is hidden somewhere deep within as well," Impa suggested and immediately both of the adolescents seemed to beam, "I suppose I should take that as a yes."

Together, the three journeyed through the mazelike halls of the castle until at last arriving at a large library in the north-west corner of the castle. Link looked on in awe at the thousands upon thousands of books lining the walls, stacked upon shelves that would seem to almost touch the sky, "How in the name of the three goddesses are we ever supposed to find anything in a place this big?"

"We're not, the library you see before you is simply for show, filled with books of common knowledge, though vast it may be," Impa replied, fingering a key she held in her pocket, "The true library we seek is hidden below."

Almost immediately, Zelda headed over to another door, angled behind a shelf casually blending in with its surroundings to avoid wandering eyes, and waited. Soon, Impa walked over to join her, key in hand as Link followed after. "The one below is nowhere near as large as this one, I'm sure it won't take too long," Zelda reassured here friend as the warrior woman unlocked the door.

Once open, the three descended the stairs into the darkness. Link prepared himself to ask how they were suppose to find anything without light, but before he had a chance, his question was answered. "Inceta," Impa whispered, and suddenly, candles around the room seemed to light on their own.

The next hour was spent searching through tomes for even the slightest mention of the sages, but so far their attempts were fruitless. Link dove into an unchecked aisle, the last in the library, and immediately one book stuck out at him. On the binding in golden cursive were the words, "The Legend of Zelda" On instinct, the boy removed the book from its resting place and began to read:

'_Inside is this book lies the story of seven wise men,_

_They were gathered from around the world for their power,_

_In order to save the people of Hyrule from the golden power that had claim over their hearts._

_It is also the story of the seven brave knights who died for their goals,_

_And the Princess of destiny who made this all possible.'_

* * *

**Alright, if you are reading this and the next chapter is nt posted yet, check back in an hour... it should be there. I just want to read a few reviews first.**


	2. Chapter 1: The Boy Who Loved a Girl

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zelda…unfortunately. Oh and as a warning though the story is indeed being read, the version they hear is much less detailed then the version I will tell, or atleast probably describes the less important things in more detail.  
**

"_It would seem that this book is almost half a millennium old based on these dates." Back in the Princess's chambers, the two adolescents laid across the princess's purple canopy bed, watching intently as the white haired woman sitting in a nearby chair examined the book. Eventually however, when she seemed satisfied, Impa began to read aloud._

"**Book of Time**

**Chapter One:**

**The Boy Who Loved a Girl**

In the Land of Hyrule, there once lived a Prince who grew tired of the pampered life that was his birthright. Day after day, he would leave the safety of the castle to join the world beyond it, and it was in that world, that he found love.

"My fellow Hylians, I am glad to say that this year, our harvest is more bountiful then it has been in decades and the end of our war with the Calatians is at last in sight…." The Prince resisted the strong urge to yawn as his father began to ramble to the people from atop the royal balcony. Apparently going amongst the people to speak would be far too uncivilized, not that it truly matter. The boy had listened to every speech his father had ever given and had discovered one thing: Despite the fact that they usually lasted well over an hour, in his constant attempt to always sound dignified, the King said absolutely nothing.

The prince felt a small nudge at his side as he began to doze off, "Pay attention." His mother's face was stern as she glared up at her son who had grown to be a few inches taller then the queen, "You wouldn't want to look undignified in front of your future subjects now would you?"

"Goddesses forbid," he replied then adjusted in his seat, if just to make his mother happy. He knew as well as she that the people below could see them just as well as the royals could see them, but in all honesty, this was something he had grown to be thankful for. Because it was rare that anyone outside the palace had ever glimpsed his face up close, it made it that much easier to walk among the people unnoticed. Infact, once upon his return home, he had even been chased by the guards who believed him a thief.

Another sharp look from his mother told him he had once again drifted off once again. He would receive many more of these looks over the course of the next hour.

When at last his father's lips had grown silent, both the Prince and the Queen stood in unison and joined him at the front of the balcony. Together the three royals waved at the cheering crowd, but unlike his parents whose gaze landed just above the crowd, the prince's blue eyes seemed to search through them, looking through the blurred faces for someone he knew. By the time he had spotted a few boys his own age within the crowd, it came time for him to turn around.

Once safely inside the palace the King and Queen surrounded their son, it would seem that they had planned this in advance. "Son, I believe the time has at last come, that we should talk of your future. You are almost twenty years old, and yet you show no interest in the affaires of our kingdom and turn your nose to every eligible young bride we present you. Instead, you choose to lock yourself up in your room day after day for hours on end, doing who knows what."

"And what, pray tell, is your point?" the prince replied immediately regretting his words.

"Our point is that you need to start getting your act together young man. Your father and I have decided that if you have not chosen a bride within the next month, then we shall choose one for you," The queen remark, linking arms with her husband.

The prince looked up at his parents, trying his best to stay composed, "If you have nothing more to say, then I shall return to my room to continue my studies." And with that, the boy continued onto a nearby staircase and disappeared from sight.

"Hm, I really do wonder about that boy," The King sighed, before continuing on, back to his throne room.

Once safely within his chambers, the Prince locked his door and began to search through his vast closet. Most after being spoken to in the way he had, would have been mad or depressed, and yet, the prince could not stop smiling. For the past few weeks he had been battling with himself, trying to decide weather or not the time was right to ask her. With his deadline moved up, he took it as a definite sign that the time was in fact right.

Inserting himself between two silk tunics, the young man began to walk forward, for his closet was so vast, that the rack was contained on a large, roulette track, something he detested considering he only wore about a tenth of them. His mother was the one who constantly insisted on beckoning the royal tailor to make for him a royal travesty which she found 'Just precious!' He felt his right hand along the wall as he traveled counter clockwise within the now darkened closet until at last he felt a small gash in the wall. He himself had made the mark many a year before when he first started his daily charade. In those days, he had simply pretended to be one of the many servants living within the palace, but this task had proved far too difficult for the eleven year old boy to accomplish undetected.

The prince stopped in his tracks and bent down to the floor. Because of where this particular floor laid, many of the floorboards had forever been left only partially secured; loose enough for even a small boy to pry open. Now nineteen, the Prince opened up his secret compartment and withdrew one of the four worn tunics it contained. Quickly in the dark, he shed himself of his princely wardrobe and changed into his alter ego. Normally, his formal clothing would have found a temporary home within the hole, but today, the prince simply shoved them into a burlap bag, crown and all. As a last thought, the Prince removed a large rope before at last replacing the floorboard.

Once back in his main chambers, the teenager took one last look to his door to make sure it was locked. Once reassured, he tied the end of his rope around the mouth of his back, and slowly hoisted it out his window. Slowly but surely the bag was lowered to the ground, it package far too delicate to simply be dropped. When he at last felt the bag touch the ground, he released the rope from his hand, and prepared for his own descent.

Long ago, the prince began tapping at the wall during the night, slowly but surely creating foot and hand holds to lead him down. They were just deep enough to allow him a stable grip, but shallow enough so that any guard who might look upon the tower would see no difference. It took a full ten minutes for him to scale the tower, but this did not bother him. After his first run in with the guards, he began to memorize their shifts, and presently, he still had thirteen minutes before the next would arrive.

The Prince kept low as he scampered across the palace grounds. His vigilance went undeterred until at last he reached the surrounding town. Almost immediately, he was spotted by a boy who had come to be a close friend, "Hey, whatcha got there?" the boy asked, noticing the bag his friend was carrying along with him.

"Oh, just something my father wanted me to pick up for him," the prince replied, referring to the false life he portrayed outside the palace. Here, he was known as the son of a merchant, which one, no one knew, but with so many no one would even know if he lied.

"Hey well if you have some time, I was just heading over to the bar. I heard they have this new girl there and she's well…" the boy smirked as he made motions with his hands on his chest, expanding out to outrageous proportions.

"Really? Well maybe some other time, I've gotta get going," the prince replied then headed deep into the crowd. From time to time, someone would wave and he would return with a smile until at last he reached his destination. It was not a particularly luxurious looking home, nor was it very large, but it was on a corner, and apparently that was a good thing. Walking over to the window furthest from the door, the teenager pressed his body to the wall. Three times he knocked on the wall, and then waited for a response.

Almost immediately, the front door opened and a beautiful young girl stepped out. She was one year his junior and had the most gorgeous green eyes he had ever seen. With a smile, she waved him inside, an invitation the prince took gratefully. "I was wondering when you were going to show up," the beamed as he entered her home then drew him into a deep kiss. The two had been meeting in secret for over a year by that point, neither one of their parents even aware of the other's existence, though the girl suspected her younger brother might already know, he had his own way of finding things out.

"So how long will your parents be out?" the boy asked as he came up for air, their bodies now pressed against each other as though clinging for life.

"My father will probably be minding the shop until late," she started then once again pressed her lips to her love's, "And mother took Theo out to the tailor for measurements." She leaned in for another kissed, but the man, whose arms surrounded her, seemed distracted. "Is something wrong?"

"Regrettably, yes. Listen, my love, there is something that I need to tell you, something, I am not certain if you will like," even in this serious moment, she couldn't help but think about how much she loved the way he spoke. Though he often tried to conceal it for reasons she did not understand, the young man spoke with an elegance that was uncommon for a member their caste, "Unfortunately, I fear that even were I to speak the truth, you would not be inclined to believe me. And so, for that reason I wish to show you instead. I promise, I will not be but a moment."

With those words, He tore himself from the girl and entered a nearby room, locking the door behind him. The young woman began to debate within her mind as to whether or not she should peek, to find out what the boy whom she thought she knew so well was doing in her younger brother's room. Temptation eventually got the better of her, and the girl could not help but check through the keyhole. Inside, the nineteen year old was busily removing his pants, the tunic he had warn just a moment before already gone. Her face beet red from having seen a man who was not of her own relation in such an exposed condition. What in the world was he doing in there? Perhaps he what he truly wanted was to have his way with her, to take her maiden head and then depart after another trusting girl. Did he truly believe her a simple whore whose chastity could so easily be tampered? She was raised well, and knew to save herself until marriage, and yet still, if this was his plan, could she really resist?

The girl decided it would be best to try to keep her mind off of what she had seen. Whatever the happened, she would deal with situation as it presented itself. For now, she would concentrate on the chores that her mother would expect to find done upon her return. She was half way through sweeping the floor when at last her long Hylian ears picked up on the sound of a turning doorknob. There in the doorway he stood, only it wasn't anything that she had ever have guess. There stood her love, golden armor covering his shoulders and a dark blue long sleeved shirt embroidered with gold covered his torso, the sleeves cuffed just before a pair of dark blue gloves. Matching boots adorned his feet; their tops slightly covered buy loose elegant blue leggings. Across his waits laid a gold belt, holstering a long sword which was strictly ornamental. And finally, atop his head rested a jewel encrusted crown, worth more then her family would make in four lifetimes.

"Where did you get those, did you steal them from the palace? You have to return them right now before you get caught," The girl told him, struggling not to raise her voice, fearing that one of her neighbors might hear.

The boy simply laughed at the girl's warning, "Hm, you don't seem to understand at all. This is not a disguise. Those clothes there, lying atop the bed, that is my truth disguise," the prince swallowed nothingness as he stared into the beautiful eyes of his love, it was clear she was confused, he just hoped that the truth would not hurt her more, "The truth is that I am not the son of a merchant that you believed me to be. My true father is a man, by the name of Alphonse Phineas Hyrule."

"So what you're saying is, that you, are the crowned Prince of Hyrule?" she asked, slightly shocked by the information. The man simply nodded and immediately she burst out into laughter, "So what you're saying is that all this time, I'm been dating a Prince and I didn't even know it. Truly you have an odd sense of humor As… I mean, your Highness."

"I know it's hard to believe, but it's the truth, I am indeed the Prince of this land, and someday, I shall be King," He told her in a reassuring tone, holding both her hands with his left, and with his right hand, tilting her chin up to look her in the eyes, now gleaming from held back tears.

"Yes of course, it makes total sense. I mean of course you are a prince, what else could you be. My friends tell me all the time about how they meet princes in the middle of the market place and fall in love with them. Because they have nothing better to do with their time then fulfill the fantasies of poor girls. Oh, and I bet your father the King, he's really a merchant as well, giving speeches by day then sneaking out to sell apples in the center of town," once again, she attempted to play it off as a casual joke between friends, but the water flowing from her eyes betrayed her, "You can't, you just can't be a Prince, because princes, princes they go off and marry princess, they would never even think about looking at a girl like me. Which would mean if you really are a prince, then all of this, everything that you've given me, it's all been a lie, a sick joke between you and your royal family."

"Sweetheart I…" He began to lean forward to kiss her lips or stroke her hair, anything to make those tears disappear, but she pulled away.

"No don't touch me, all of this, everything, all that we had, that I hoped we might have, it's all been a lie hasn't it," this time, it was he that looked away, "So just tell me, what is it you want?"

"All that I want is for you to be my bride, so that together, we can be happy for the rest of our lives."

To this, there was only one word that she could find, "Yes."

* * *

**Meanwhile in the Castle**

A servant in her mid twenties ascended the stairs that lead to the Prince's chambers, upon reaching the door, she knocked twice, "Your highness, your lunch is ready." There was no response. Assuming that he did not hear her, the woman knocked once more, this time even louder, "Your highness, lunch." Still no response. Still, she was certain she was told he would be in. She attempted to turn the knob, but it was locked. Right then a horrible thought occurred to her, what if the someone had snuck into the castle and right now he was inside the princes room, holding the handsome young man hostage, or worse, killed him, "You Highness, please answer me, are you alright!!"

"Leave me be, I am trying to study," a sudden sense of relief came over the woman upon hearing the voice.

"But your highness, what about your meal?"

"I am not hungry," the voice responded, something about it sounded strange to her ears, but then again, they were talking through a door. With a sigh, the woman gave in and descended the stairs. Upon hearing the footsteps, the imposter within began to smirk.

* * *

**Back in Town**

Now back in his peasant clothes, the prince and his betrothed sat together on her bed, speaking together for the past hour of his past, and of their future. The news still was quite a shock, but she found herself adjusting to the idea of marrying a prince with more ease then she originally thought, "So tell me, what are your parents like, do you think that they will like me?"

"Well…" he laughed nervously trying to imagine what his parents would say, 'You threw away all of the beautiful, proper young women for this common street trash?' 'Are you trying to break your mother's heart? Do you despise us that much?' "They don't really like anyone; I don't even think they like me half the time."

The two both laughed at his answer before the girl moved on to her next question, "Well what about your…" Voices from outside seemed to drift through the open window. It was her mother, back early from the tailor, "Quick you have to get out of here." She warned, pushing him away towards her bedroom window, thankful that their home had two side facing the outside. Quickly, the prince squeezed his way through, preparing to run, apparently today was not the day they would confront her parents. As the front door jiggled, the young woman noticed the bag filled with princely clothes, lying on the ground. Quickly she scooped up the bag and forcefully tossed it out the window where her fiancé had just barely managed to escape.

The front door swung wide open and there stood a middle aged woman, and her thirteen year old son, "I see you didn't finish sweeping the floor. Honestly I don't know what we are going to do with you. No wonder you aren't married, and at your age…" her mother began to ramble on. Her younger brother however just seemed to stare into her room….and out her window.

'He knows.'

Half an hour later, the Prince found himself scaling the tower back to his room, the rope between his teeth. When at last he reached his window, he found a thirteen year old of his own waiting for him, "So Zelda, any visitors."

"Just the same servants as usual, I told them you were studying," the blond haired girl replied.

"Good, so I guess that means you have been waiting here the whole time then huh?" he responded, watching as she twirled the spare key around her index finger.

"It's not as though anyone ever looks in my room," she smiled, trying to turn her comment into a joke. This would be the second time that the prince would not fall for that ploy that day. Gently, he bent down to his younger sister's level and wrapped her in a embrace, the two appearing quite mismatched as the prince still wore the clothes of a commoner.

"And for that I am truly sorry, just remember, I will always be here for you."

"Thank you, Asher.""

* * *

**Alright hoped you liked this chapter, I have one more chapter of Book of Time to write up so I'm kinda syched (5 chapters long with prologue, this book is mostly meant to set up the plot)... anywho please review and if you are interested in doing art for my fic, please contact me, I'll even give chapter previews **


	3. Chapter 2: Standing Still

**Disclaimer: NO I don't own zelda... but someday I will muwahhaha. Well anywho, got no reviews for the first two chapters, but hopefully you'll enjoy this one.**

"_Prince Asher, I know that I have heard that name before. Impa, do you remember?" Zelda asked her attendant, hoping that perhaps she was the one who had told her the tale._

"_I am afraid I do not, perhaps, he was in one of the tales your father used to tell," the sheikah replied, holding the ancient book open in her lap._

"_Possibly, perhaps if you read more, the words may jog my memory," the princess suggested. Calmly, the elderly warrior nodded and once again spoke._

"**Book of Time**

**Chapter Two:**

**Standing Still**

As Theo laid across his bed, a blue ocarina to his lips, he thought about what he had discovered the day before. In a way, he was surprised that he had not figured it out earlier, her having a boyfriend, not him being a prince, even Anika herself hadn't realized that. For almost a year now she had been humming to herself and suddenly remembering tasks she was asked to help with for friends then disappearing for hours, always returning with a smile that would last just as long. Then the night before, Theo found out, and she told him the whole story, how they met, when they started meeting, their secret knocks, and most shockingly, their secret engagement.

She told him that the next time the Prince came, she would let her brother meet him, after all, they would have to eventually. However, it appeared that it was not quite the right time for him to meet their parents, who knew what they would do? It wasn't that they would be disappointed, on the contrary, they would be thrilled that she had finally found a husband, and a prince no less, it was simply that once they knew so would the world and the goddesses know they would take advantage of their daughter's celebrity status. As an upper working class family, they had learned how to spot profitable situations and take advantage, there son being one of them, or so they wished. Since he was young, Theo could remember…

"Theo, breakfast is ready," his mother called from the kitchen, having to shout over the sound of his ocarina. With a sigh, he placed the instrument on top of his small dresser and walked out of the room. His sister was setting the last of the plates as the thirteen year old entered the room. "Theo, I really do wish you would brush that hair of yours, you have such a handsome face, it's such a shame it hidden underneath that blond mess," his mother smiled, but the boy paid her no mind and sat down at the table next to his father.

"So, son, you think this war is going to end soon?" his father asked casually and his mother began shoveling food onto their plates. As usual, the boy looked up to find both his parents watching him, pretending as always that it was simply a question. All four of them knew this was far from true, what they wanted answers, answers which the boy did not possess, even if they believed he did. Just as routinely, the boy shrugged his shoulders and concentrated on the small plat of eggs presented to him.

They avoided questions for the next few minutes, knowing that the boy was not going to speak. Instead, they spoke of the day ahead, of the packages their father was expecting and the tea their mother would be having with friends that afternoon. "Oh and it's such a perfect day too, it looks to me like there won't be a cloud in the sky all day. What do you think Theo?"

With this, the boy shoveled the rest of his food into his mouth and stood up, "I'm done, if you need me, I'll be in my room."

* * *

**That Afternoon at the Palace**

There had been noticeable difference in Asher all morning, in place of the bored distracted boy the entire royal family and even the servants had grown used to was a proud confident young man with a spring in his step and a grin plastered on his face. Not a single person could explain the sudden change in the prince's attitude, no one, that was, except his sister, but she would never tell.

Together, the royal children ate lunch in silence, knowing full well that the guards were most likely listening in. However their problem was solved once the broth was served. It was a strategy they had come up with when they were younger. They would take their spoonfuls in synchrony, while one slurped down the liquid, the other would put the spoon to their lips and speak in soft tones, loud enough to be heard across the table through the noise, but not across the room.

A nod from Asher, told Zelda it was time to begin. The hot liquid poured down her royal throat as her brother spoke, "I was wondering, would you like to meet her?"

"Of course, will you be bringing her back to the palace?"

"No, I was thinking you would come with me. You are alright with that, are you not?"

"Of course," but it was not true. The thirteen year old girl had never left the palace without at least a few guards to accompany her in her life, the thought of being so exposed and unprotected on the streets was terrifying to the princess. But still, she trusted her brother, and would follow him to the end of the world if he asked, "But won't the servants realize you have gone missing if no one's in your room?"

"Then it shall simple have to be a quick visit. Meet me in my room when you are finished," and with that, Prince Asher pushed out his chair and left his sister alone in the eating hall.

Fifteen minutes later, the princess made her way up the spiral staircase and knocked upon her brother's door, "Asher, may I enter?"

"Just a moment," a voice answered back. A few seconds later, the bedroom door was opened by a nineteen year old dressed in peasant clothes. In his right arm was another tunic, "Here put this one, it's one of my older ones. It should fit well enough."

The princess nodded, and then entered her brother's closet. Several minutes later, she emerged red faced, "Your clothes smell funny."

"Five years under the floorboards will do that," Asher teased then walked over to his sister with a rope. Bent down on one knee, he tied the rope around her waist and smiled, "Alright, now, you are going to need to trust me and propel down the tower. When you reach the bottom, I'll follow after."

The girl suddenly noticed that the other end of the rope was fastened to her brother, he was planning to use himself as the anchor, "You won't let go will you?"

"Only if you get on my nerves," the boy grinned, placing his hand on her shoulder. Keeping his hand their, Asher lead his younger sister to the window and lifted her up onto the ledge. Firmly, he grasped the rope only a few feet from where his sister was tied, "You are safe, time to jump."

Zelda took one deep, panicked breath before finally pushing herself off the window ledge. Almost immediately the rope became taut and she was swung to the wall. Surprisingly, though she wasn't quite sure why it was so, the princess discovered crude hand holds and latched on. From up in the room, the prince released a few more feet of rope then nodded down to his sister, knowing it would not be wise drawing attention to himself by shouting instructions. Once again the girl let go, then grabbed onto the holes, and so the process continued until at long last, her royal feet touched the ground in her brother's old sandals. Now it was his turn to venture downward, though unlike his sister, Asher did not require the rope's assistance, he managed fine all on his own.

A mixture of terror and excitement coursed through the princess's veins as the two snuck along the palace ground, but as frightened as she was, it would seem that her anxiety would only rise as they entered the crowds. Immediately she latched herself onto her brother's right arm. Sensing his sister was on edge, the prince cast her a smile from one and a half head lengths above, not noticing the boy running towards him until he was already there.

"Hey Asher, found yourself a new girlfriend, huh? Does Anika know about this?" it was the same friend that approached him the day before.

"Nah, and don't tell her either," the two laughed. As they both calmed down, the prince gave a serious response, "This is my little sis, Zelda."

"Zelda huh? Is everyone in your family named after royalty?"

Asher heard the joking tone in his friend's voice and chuckled, "You could say that." He could feel his sister's grip tighten, she was obviously uncomfortable, "Sorry but I'm in a bit of a hurry again," the prince apologized then whispered, "By the way, about that girl at the pub, were the rumors true?" The other teen nodded with a large grin then watched as his friend walked away.

Asher took his sister by the hand and quickly led her through the crowds, "You have to calm down, there is nothing to worry about, I swear." Zelda nodded in understanding, trying her best to regain her practiced composure; however she found this task near impossible.

At the end of a long alley, they suddenly came to an abrupt stop, "Why are we sto…" at once the dirty blond boy covered his sister's mouth then releases. He then leaned against the wall and knocked three times.

Instantly, the nearby door flung open, "Asher, I want you to meet som… who is this?"

Asher stared at his fiancée, then back to his sibling. He waited until they were safely inside before he responded, "This is my younger sister, Zelda. Zelda, this is Anika."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance," Zelda told her with a small curtsey, holding onto the edges of the slightly large tunic.

"As am I," the young woman answered, attempting to be as proper as possible, realizing already that this girl was far more formal then her brother. Yet still, at least she had enough humility to dress in common clothes, Anika doubted the King and Queen would be as accommodating.

Zelda smiled pleasantly at the girl who would someday be her sister-in-law. She really was quiet lovely. Though it was obvious that her long light brown hair was not combed nearly as often as it should be, and her dress had probably been worn a few days in a row, her green eyes shined with a certain warmth that one did not often seen amongst the royalty and an hourglass figure which had most likely attracted her brother in the first place. But her attention did not remain on the girl long as music seemed to faintly pour into the room. It was haunting, yet beautiful, and a certain sense of power seemed to be held in each note, "Excuse me, but where is that enchanting music coming from?"

Anika seemed to stare down at the girl in confusion for a moment before at last responding, "Oh that noise, that's just my brother Theo. Which reminds me…" the girl prepared to shout for her brother as she normally would, but the thought suddenly occurred to her that the scene may make her out to seem even more uncivilized then need be, besides, it would probably be a good idea to warn her future family about his… oddity, "I am just going to get him, but I'll warn you, if there is something you don't want known, don't let him touch you."

"Don't let him touch us, what is that supposed to mean?" Asher asked, slightly confused, however his answer came from a different source then he expected.

"It means your future brother-in-law is a seer," Zelda looked up at her brother, then turned to the older girl, "Isn't that right?"

Anika simply nodded, astounded at the younger girl's knowledge.

As his fiancé disappeared into the room he changed his clothing in the day before, Asher turned to his sister, "How did you know that?"

"Not all of us sneak out during our studies," she smirked. The music suddenly stopped and soon, the eighteen year old returned, accompanied by a boy who was her own height. Though his hair was blond and his eyes were blue, the boy seemed to share in his sister's good looks. His bangs seemed to maintain the same length as the rest of his hair, reaching down to the bottom of his ears, separated in the middle covering only the edges of his eyes.

"Is that him?" Theo asked his sister, loud enough so that everyone heard. Once again the girl nodded. Unlike his sister however, this boy seemed to lack certain social graces, no not lack them, ignored them. Immediately the boy approached his peer, ignoring her brother entirely, "You must be Princess Zelda."

Zelda couldn't help but blush as the boy looked her in the eyes. Something about them seemed to hold a great wisdom far beyond that of the average thirteen year old boy, and besides, he was admittedly cute, "Yes, and it's just Zelda, you do not need to call me princess if you do not wish."

"Zelda it is," the boy smiled, "You can call me Theo."

For a moment, time seemed to stand still as the two stared into each others eyes, only to be broken when an invader entered their circle. "Well Theo, it is nice to meet you at last. Your sister has told me so much about you," Asher interrupted, holding out his hand to the boy. The boy was slightly startled by the intrusion and seemed confused by the man's gesture, but eventually placed his hand inside the larger one and shook, a gentlemen's gesture. Asher stared at his love at this moment with a confident look in his eye, for this small gesture was truly for her. By allowing the seer to touch his hand, it was his way of saying, 'I have nothing left to hide.'

At that moment, Theo quickly withdrew his hand, and for a half a second, shot his sister an angry glare, then suddenly appeared calm and uninterested, "If you don't mind, I wish to return to my room." With out even waiting for a response, the boy turned around and returned to his chambers, closing the door behind his then stuffing the keyhole.

"You'll have to excuse him, he gets that way sometimes," Anika apologized. Though she was worried about her brother, she was far more moved by her love's actions. Without even a second thought, he purposefully allowed open access to his mind, his past and his secrets to one he believed would warn her of anything he was hiding. It was as though he were telling her, "I have nothing left to hide," which of course was a good thing; she couldn't take another of his surprises.

As she stared into his blue eyes, the music now returning to the room, she found herself unable to contain her lust. The urge to press her lips against his perfect ones. Apparently, the same thoughts were going through the prince's mind as well, for soon, his arms were wrapped around her petite waist. They were instantly drawn together, as they often were, but after a few seconds, Asher no longer seemed to be into it and pulled away, his face red, staring off to his right.

"Oh, Zelda, I almost forgot you were here," the young woman laughed nervously, having forgotten that she was nearby to witness the intimate moment, "You and Theo sure seemed to get along, why don't you go check how he is doing."

"Yes, that's a good idea, why don't you go into Theo's room," Asher agreed, still enthralled by his fiancé, "… and shut the door."

Knowing when she was not wanted, Zelda took the hint and approached the boy's door, her cheeks still burning from what she had seen. Not wanting to intrude on the boy's melody, she entered without knocking, having already been given permission by her future sister in law. A shocked looked appeared on the boy's face as she entered, however this was not what she was concentrating on. Above Theo's head floated tiny lines of light, an indoor aurora borealis of mystic energy. Without saying a word, Zelda closed the door behind her, sensing this was not something he wished overheard.

"This is not what it looks like, I can explain," Theo stated defensively, the light disappearing with the tune.

"You practice magic, what is there to explain?" the princess asked in calm voice, unsure of the social rules of the lower classes, though in her head, being able to wield such a thing could only be beneficial.

Theo lifted himself off the bed and with a worried look approached the girl, "Listen, just please don't tell anyone."

This time, Zelda could clearly see that he was being serious, "Of course, I promise, I shall not tell a soul," she stated, another thought finally occurring to her, perhaps this was a family secret, or perhaps he was more sensitive to the fact she was royal then he let on, "Not even to my father."

Theo looked slightly more relieved, though his eyes seemed to avoid her, "It is not your father I am concerned about."

Zelda felt the sudden need to comfort the boy, but she had no idea how. 'What would Asher say?' she thought, wishing she could just open the door and ask. But no, that would probably only make things worse, "If it's any consolation, I thought what you were doing was amazing."

At this, the boy's emotions seemed to turn, though not quite how she expected it. At first trying to stifle it, Theo eventually began laughing out loud, "I apologize, I do not mean to offend but…" another burst of laughter came from the boy's mouth, making him unable to speak. As it slightly calmed down, he continued, "that magic you just saw, that's low leveled magic, any imbecile with the slightest bit of talent could accomplish that."

The princess could feel anger boiling at the surface as the boy laughed at her attempt to comfort him. He should be honored that a royal such as herself has even spoken to her, and he had the nerve to laugh. Lucky for him, she had been conditioned since birth and rarely did she allow her emotions to get the better of her, "Well then, why would you even bother to perform such a spell?"

"I doubt that you would be very interested," Theo responded, slowly calming down.

"Allow for me to be the judge on whether or not I would be interested."

The boy was intrigued by the princess's answer. No one in his family had ever actually cared about the logistics of his magic, well the magic he let them know of, all they had ever cared about was the results. "Hm, well I suppose in order to answer that, I would have to explain more about magic. You see, most people seem to believe that the power comes from the spell itself, but in reality, the magic comes from inside the wielder. The spell itself is simply meant to control the magic, allowing the results to be predictable until at last the user is capable of performing the spell on their own, like this." With a snap of his fingers, the aurora returned, more brilliant then before, "The secret of the spell is that the individual rhythms of the word correspond to the pattern of flow that the person is supposed to release. However, by putting the tones into spoken words, the flow will be slightly changed, depending on concentration, requiring the user to put forth more power then necessary. So my theory is that if I convert said spells into musical tones, it would allow a more perfect rhythm and thus…"

"Allowing even a non magic user to wield spells with very little strain. Am I right?" Zelda finished the boy's sentence.

For a moment, Theo was taken aback by the girl's astuteness, obviously she too had a greater intelligence then she let show, "Precisely. Unfortunately, it seems to be more difficult then I had first expected and I find that going back and analyzing the spells I have already completed, but despite that I have still managed to discover a few things."

"Such as?"

"Well for starters, only neutral and low leveled elemental spells seem capable of being carried out in this way. I'm not entirely sure why this is, but I can only guess that it has something to do with the instrument itself. Therefore, in order to pull off more complicated spells, the instrument must first be enchanted," Theo could feel the girl's gaze, in some ways it felt nice to finally have someone to talk about these things with, but still, his own personal paranoia couldn't help but rear its head, "Would you like to try?"

The girl nodded, completely forgetting her past anger. The two walked back to his bed where the ocarina lay. Theo lifted the instrument and offered it to the girl, however, she seemed slightly turned off. It only took Theo a moment to realize the problem, "Oh, my apologies," Theo rubbed the mouth piece off on his shirt then reoffered it.

"On second thought, Perhaps you should play, I am not very experienced on the ocarina," and so they spent the next half hour or so, the seer playing his music, and the princess staring in amazement at not just the magic the tones produced, but the melodies themselves. The boy truly did have a gift for music.

The music stopped as a knock was heard at the door. A moment later, the door opened, the Prince standing in the doorway, "Zelda, it's time to head home."

The princess simply nodded and pushed herself off the bed. Without saying a word, the two thirteen year old smiled at one another, and then she was gone. Once the two were finally out the door, his sister entered, "So, you two seem to be getting along. Should we be expecting a joint wedding?" she teased, having spent the last half hour planning one out with her fiancé.

Theo simply shrugged, and allowed his sister to embrace him.

Zelda felt far more comfortable on her way back to the palace. It turned out actually having a conversation with a peasant made them all a lot less frightening "So, what did you two talk about that whole time, did he read your future?" Asher asked as the approached the path to the castle.

"No, he was a perfect gentleman. We simply spent the time making fun of you two," the girl smirked, but suddenly she noticed he was not paying attention. Instead, he seemed to be staring at the guards in the distance.

"Damn, I must have lost track of time, we have to hurry." Apparently, the boy had memorized the guards' schedule. Carefully the two ducked across…"

"_Wait a moment Impa, I remember now When I was a little girl, my father used to tell me the story of a prince named Asher," the Princess reported, then seemed to rethink over the tale itself, "However I doubt the two are one in the same, the one I know of seemed more… naive."_

"_Yes, but Princess, you seem to have forgotten that it has been almost five hundred years and stories often get skewed from the original," Impa lectured, still holding the book open on her lap, "But for now I believe it may be more productive for me to finish the tale we have already started. From the look of the sky, I would say you friend will have to be leaving soon."_

_As the Sheikah woman cleared her through, Link whispered in the Princess's ear, "So, what was that Asher's tale?" _

"_Well you see, long ago there was a young prince named Asher…"_

"Carefully the two ducked across the castle lawn, quickly making their way to the base of the tower…"

"_Eternally curious, one day the boy decided to sneak away from the safety of the castle and explore to the hectic streets surrounding his home…"_

"Asher stared up the stone wall then back over his shoulder nervously, "Zelda there's no time for me to climb up the tower then pull you back up with the rope. You are just going to have to climb with me."

The thought filled the princess with fright. She had never so much as climbed a ladder and now she was being expected to not only scale a large tower with small foot holes, but to keep up with her experienced brother as well, "Asher, you know I can't, it's too high."

The prince could tell his sister was truly worried, and understood her fears were justified, having been in her position years before, "You trust me don't you?"

"Of course I do Asher, you know that," Zelda told him, staring up into his matching blue eyes.

The boy placed his hands on the princess's shoulders and returned her glare, "Then trust me when I say nothing will go wrong. I will even stay right behind you the entire time so you'll have something soft to land on."

A small smirk appeared on Zelda's lips at his words. Her brother always seemed to know the right thing to say, "Alright, but you better stay right behind me."

"Cross my heart," he grinned. But still, the sense of dread never left the girl's mind as they climbed the wall especially when she looked down, but then her brother would simply smile at her and she felt slightly more at ease…"

"_But while out, he was spotted by a group of rebels who wished to end the rule of the Hyrule family. And so, the rebels followed in pursuit of the boy, waiting for their chance to strike. The opportunity at last presented itself later that day on his return home, proud that he had braved the ruthless streets. The rebels watched as he scaled the walls of the tower in which his chambers were contained…."_

"Soon, the window to Asher's chamber was in sight and the young girl began to increase her speed, wishing desperately to reach the safety of his room. Within an instant, her arm was hooked onto the frame of the window, "Asher, look I made it.""

"_It was not until he had almost reached the top, that they finally struck…"_

"The Prince stared up at his smiling sister, proud of her accomplishment, "I knew you could." He replied, almost instantly regretting his words. As the princess attempted to lift herself into the room, her foot slipped from its holding…"

"_With a single arrow, they shot down the boy…"_

"With fast reflexes, Asher pushed up on the girl, stabilizing her just enough that she was able to climb in the window. Of course, as with most things, an equivalent exchange seemed to be necessary. To give one balance, the other had to lose their own. Unable to keep his grip, the nineteen year old prince fell backwards. Before he hit the ground, the last thing the Prince heard was his sister's plea, "Asher!!"

"_And that was the end of Prince Asher."_

* * *

**I don't mean to sound naggy, but I really want to know if people are enjoying my story or if I'm giving to much description or too little or whatnot. So please Review and thank you for reading.**


	4. Chapter 3: Broken

_Ingo listened from the stalls as Link told Malon a tale, something that had become commonplace in the six months since the new stage hand had moved in. Usually they were filled with monsters and magics, some of which the boy had taken the opportunity to demonstrate, but this one was different. From what he overheard between shovelfuls, it would seem that this tale was one of romance; a fact made obvious by the girl's affectionate sighing as the details of the story matched up with her personal fantasies. _

_It soon became clear to the man that the girl had once again became enthralled by the boy's story and no longer was attending to her chores, leaving more work for him and the boy. Just a few months before, this would have annoyed Ingo to no end and was in fact one of the reasons that at first he had detested the young hero. But it would seem that the boy had another power he had not told them of, a certain calming quality that had worked its way into the ranch hand's system and had since made him less quick to fly off the handle. He was the odd kind of boy in whom one could not seem to find anything to hate, even if they tried. He was friendly, kind and most importantly, he was a handworker and soon had warmed up to the cranky man. _

"_What? No way!! Link, are ya'll pullin' my leg? There's no way the prince could die!! He was gonna get married!!" the loud boom of Malon's voice echoed through the barn._

"_Well, the book never exactly said he died but…" the blond was cut off midsentece, something he had grown used to when Malon felt passionate about a topic._

"_Then he could just be hurt right? I mean, you've fallen from heights before and ya'll're okay," Malon responded, a certain sense of desperation in her voice. Not once in all the stories that her Mother used to tell her as a child had the handsome knight ever been unable to rescue his love and live happily ever after, there just could not be any other way and she should know, because someday, she would be swept away by a brave knight of her own._

"_Well, yes but Zelda said that…"_

"_Zelda, so she's the one who put that horrible li'l story into your head, why I oughtta give that princess a piece of my mind!" Her hands were in tight fists as she began her ranting._

"_Malon maybe you should calm…" _

"_You're going to see her tomorrow aren't cha?" She asked, not paying attention to the words the boy was saying._

"_Of course, that's alright, isn't it?" Link asked slightly confused, though mostly frightened._

"_Course it's alrigh', and I'm coming with you!"_

"_I'm not sure if that's the greatest idea," Link answered nervously, trying not to anger the girl._

"_What was that?" Malon glared at the boy, her arms crossed._

"_It's just that…"_

"_Ya'll're gonna take me, ya hear?" the red head ordered then grabbed onto the boy's long ear, forcing him to the floor._

"_Aw aw aw, let go, let go!" Link yelled. Monsters he could handle, but apparently not a pinch to the ear._

"_Are ya gonna take me with ya?" Malon asked smugly as she looked down at the vanquished hero._

"_Fine! Fine! Just let go!" He felt as the pressure was released and immediately began to rub the now red spot._

"_Good, glad ta see we're on the same page," the girl smirked then cheerfully skipped out of the barn._

_This was the moment that Ingo decided to leave his stall and stared down at the blue eyed _

_boy, "Not even a man yet and already yer whipped."_

_Zelda was quite surprised when she heard the news that there were two whom had come to visit her. She was well aware that Link had planed to return to the palace so that they could continue with the tale, but he had never brought a friend before. Perhaps this was another person she had never expected._

_And yet as she entered the hall, there he was, the same blond haired hero she had met three years before, and on his arm was linked a girl. Before formally presenting herself, the princess watched the strange girl for a moment, registering her in her mind. From her garb it was obvious that she was not from the most well off family in the kingdom, yet still this red headed girl seemed to have a special bond with the person who was mostly likely the only friend that Zelda had whom was of her own age. For a moment, the royal felt a small pulse of jealousy but quickly pushed it to the back of her mind, after all, a princess should not have such impure thoughts._

_Her purple gown trailing behind her, Zelda chose an elegant entrance as opposed to her normally rushed greeting to Link. "Welcome Link."_

"_Thank you Princess. I hope you do not mind that I brought Malon, she sort of insisted…" Link felt a slight nudge to his gut and caught the edge of the farm girl's glare, "...I mean, she's so wonderful and perfect I just couldn't bear to leave her back at the ranch." He laughed nervously then received a large grin from the redhead clinging to his arm._

"_Well then, welcome to you as well Miss Malon," the princess smiled pleasantly then turned around, "Please follow me so that we may continue our tale."_

"**Book of Time**

**Chapter Three:**

**Broken**

In the two days since the prince's demise and in the absence of an official explanation, many a rumor had begun to circulate throughout the kingdom of the events leading up to it. One told of an evil Calatian wizard whom possessed the boy in an attempt to get close to the King. But of course as one of noble blood, Asher was able to fight against the man's control and tossed himself out a window in order to take him down. Another told of a siren who sang to his window in the night. Compelled by her voice, the Prince woke from his bed and climbed through the window, believing in his brainwashed state that he could survive the fall to his "love". Yet still the most dominant of the rumors was that he had truly been killed by a group of rebel Hyrulians and the King was keeping everything secret so that he could keep up the appearance of being loved by all his subjects.

But the truth was that not even the King and Queen themselves were not entirely certain as to what happened to their son, for it would seem that the lips of the only person in all of Hyrule whom witnessed the even, would barely open her mouth, though her parents tried often. Though she told herself that her silence was for noble reasons, to keep her brothers memory away from their parents' scrutiny, the truth was that Zelda could not help but blame herself. Had she not been so careless climbing the tower, then Asher would need not to have caught her, and would have never fallen off the tower. She should have died that day, not her brother, after all, he was the one with all the Royal training, he was the one their parents were proud of, he was the one who had inherited their great grandfather's adventurous spirit. But no, he was dead and now Hyrule was left with pathetic Princess Zelda as their only heir, a girl whom had rarely sat in on a royal speech, a girl whom would never have thought to take a risk if she were not pushed to do so, and simply a girl in general, who in this wide world would ever wish to be ruled over by one of the fairer sex?

With these thoughts following through her mind, it was not surprising to find tears flowing down the girl's face as she walked between her parents. "Now you stop that Zelda, are you trying to embarrass our family?" the queen scolded as they walked far behind the casket where their lost one lay, only his face which was still intact being left for the people to gaze upon, still handsome though white it now was.

As they walked through the crowds, occasionally a silent gasp could be heard. In the corner of her blue eyes, the Princess spotted the shocked faces of those she could only presume were the companions of her now deceased brother. She could only imagine the mixture of grief and betrayal they must have felt as they came to realize that the boy in the casket was not only the boy they had known for, well only the goddesses know how long, but that he was also a Prince. However, it was not for them that the girl eventually turned her noble head, but for the girl whom was to be a queen, but now sadly, remained a lone widow, unable to release her pain for the world around her was filled with people who would, even years later, remain ignorant of her love affair. It was only in the moment when their eyes met, was she allowed the smallest of a release and then the princess was gone, continuing on her way to cathedral that had been built around the doorway to the Sacred Realm.

It had been many months since last the young Princess had entered the cathedral. Since she was young, Zelda had always been awed by the stain glass windows that decorated the walls. Each colorful scene recounted the tale of her great grandfather, Gustaf Hyrule. Much to her father's embarrassment, their patriarch began his life as a poor man with an un quenchable sense for adventure. With only a mere sword and shield and the clothes on his back, the man took out on an adventure to see the world. After years of travel, he came upon a land filled with violence and hatred, a land of despair and suffering where legend told that the golden power lay hidden somewhere. Gustaf took it upon himself to find such a power and bring peace to the world. Many had tried and failed in the same attempt, but using his Power, Wisdom, and Courage, the man was able to succeed in his goal and using the sacred power brought peace to the land. In thanks, the people named the land Hyrule and made Gustaf their King.

Since then, the golden power was left in the care of the people of Hyrule, trusting that they would keep it safe. And so there it stood, on the altar before them, so close and yet still forbidden to be touched, the ultimate temptation. Even so, the golden triangles were a sight to behold, with almost constant pilgrimages year round for only moments in this room. Monks of every race and every age, ranging from an ancient man whom appeared so brittle that even the slightest wind could break his bones to a blond haired young man only a few years older then the princess herself, began to gather in the hall in silent prayer for the prince.

* * *

Never before had Theo ever seen this look in his sister's eyes, a glassy stare aimed at no one in particular, her face paralyzed as though she had been caught in a redead's trap. Though by no means an expert in emotional affairs, Theo knew this was not right. Every other widow he had seen had either let rivers roll down their cheeks, or stomping around the household, venting as his mother put it, or sometimes even immediately began looking for a new man to share her life with. But then again she was not an ordinary widow; she had bore him no children to comfort her, nor even a ring to remember him by. Even if she wanted to, no one would listen to her if she asked for a shoulder to cry on, for in the eyes of the world there was nothing for her to cry about, she had always been a she and never a they, certainly not with a Prince of all people. The poor girl had once been happy, but now there was nothing left of that life, no piece of evidence left that such happy times ever existed. She was completely alone in her memories and she was…broken.

But then suddenly, though only for a split second, his sister's face seemed to change. Her eyes widened and began to water, glistening in the morning sun. Theo turned around just in time to see the Princess turn her head. She truly was quite attractive out of male garments. Slightly distracted, as boys often are in their thirteenth year, the seer did not notice his sister's absence right away. Still, as soon as the royal procession had passed, Anika's absence became apparent.

"What is her problem? They've still got one royal brat left," Theo father laughed silently, his mother holding her hand to her mouth to hide a smile. They truly were disgusting people and their son glared at them as such for just a moment before he took off running into a nearby alleyway.

'Where in Hyrule is she?' the golden haired boy thought, wondering how she managed to cover such a distance in so little time. Eventually, however, he managed to spot the brunette sitting down in an alleyway, her back to a wall and her eyes staring blankly at the ground.

"What are you doing here?" the girl asked without ever looking up, yet still, the anger in her voice rang true in her brother's long ears.

"I was worried, I had thought perhaps you would like to talk," Theo replied, trying his hardest to be kind.

"And why, in the name of Nayru, would I want to do that?" the girl sneered, still staring down at the damp cobblestones, "Why did you do this to me?"

Theo's ears perked in confusion at the question, he had been home with her at the time of the fall, "I don't know what you mean?"

"Hm, don't lie to me little brother, we both know you saw this coming," now Anika at last looked up and glared.

"No, I swear by the Goddesses, I was not aware this would happen." Theo watched warily as his sister pushed herself off the ground, slowly making her way over to where he stood.

She was mere inches away before at last she spoke, "I thought I told you not to lie to me," fire was in Anika's green eyes as she pinned her brother to the wall, her forearm pressing heavily at his chest, "I saw you touch him!"

"Yes, and I saw nothing," the boy spoke honestly, his voice reduced to a whisper as his ribcage pushed against his lungs.

"Liar!!" the woman yelled as she smacked his face with her free hand. A red mark shined brightly in contrast with the boy's pale skin, which only grew paler with fear. "Was I that horrible of a sister? Did you hate me so much you thought I deserved this?"

"N-nno, I swea…"

"Did you think I deserved this heartbreak? This suffering? I don't even have anything to remember him by, so there! No are you happy brother?" Tear flowed down the girl's face as she felt her brother's body shake. Yet still, her fury was too much to contain.

As her hand pulled back for another strike, Theo closed his eyes and spoke, "Rallentare!" He felt the pressure on his chest drop and opened his eyes to find his sister had barely moved, though she did and was continuing to do so. However now, even something as simple as blinking an eye would appear to take some time to complete. In the shifted time flux, it was mere child's play for the young man to escape his sister's grasp then took off down the alleyway towards his home.

Anika watched in astonishment as her younger brother disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving behind a momentary blurry stream of his blue tunic. The truth was, she knew this was not her brother's fault, but things would be much easier if it was."

* * *

**Sorry I've posted late, I've been sick...not that anyone seems to care, sigh. Anywho, for those of you whom have bothered reading, you are about to reach the plot, woot. Anywho, no idea how long the next chap will post...might be awhile... so if you like the story, don't forget to favorite.**

* * *


	5. Chapter 4: The Knights of Hyrule

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zelda, but with Gannon's help, one day I will mwahaha**

"**Book of Time**

**Chapter Four:**

**The Knights of Hyrule**

For a long time all was dark, until at last a glorious golden light burst forth. Warmth began to spread, but all too quickly dark clouds began to gather, choking off the light from which it came. Hope, so new, began to fade, but just when it appeared certain that the darkness would return, six lights shined forth on the horizon, a seventh seeming to come from within the source of the darkness itself. Six lines burst through the sky to meet their brother, and together the seven surrounded the golden light. A vortex of darkness seemed to drain back into the light, allowing the blue skies of Hyrule to open up above. It was not until the last of the clouds disappeared that the golden Light at last ceased, leaving behind only the seven lights. Only then did it become apparent that inside each bright beacon contained a man.

It had been three years since the prince's death and the now sixteen year old Theo woke from his dream with a jolt, knowing even before he had a chance to process what he had seen that there was something he needed to do. There was some place the Goddesses wanted him to go, something they needed him to find, to gather. But there was something else Theo needed to do first, and with this in mind, the young man lifted his blue ocarina to his lips and began to play.

Meanwhile deep in the castle, another young man had an awakening of his own, "Erol, today is your day, it is time to awaken!"

In his half sleeping state, the blond Hylian found himself unable to take in the full meaning of his mentor's words. "Huh? Another training session?" he murmured, rubbing the sand from his eyes.

"True to form I see," the Knight smirked down at his squire, "At times, I find it truly difficult to believe that a boy, whom can not even wake himself, is to be named the youngest knight in a generation."

Erol found himself blinking quite a few times before his memory finally surfaced, "The coronation, I almost forgot. I thank you Sir Eli, I shall prepare at once."

"You had better hurry, it would not look good for you to be late," the man smirked, an inside joke between the two.

"Of course, I wouldst not wish to make a poor first impression," the nineteen year old laughed, remembering how he had overslept five years earlier when first he had been assigned as a squire.

"Well then, I shall leave you to your biddings," the knight replied, then exited the small chamber.

An audible sigh escaped Erol's lips as his mentor shut the door. It was not that he was not excited to be knighted, quite the contrary, since he was young all he wanted to do was grow up and become a knight just like his father, however, this in itself was the problem. For the truth was that his father was no ordinary Knight, he was the leader in fact the leader of the entire court guard and in the eyes of his fellow knights, there was no chance that two such spectacular knights could possibly be related to one another, all choosing foul play over believing that the boy could ever have such skill. It was for this reason that Erol had declined his father's request too be knighted the year before, for at eighteen, he would have been tied for the youngest knight in Hyrule history, which only expanded about three generations, and thus would only invite even more animosity.

What his peers refused to appreciate were all the hours a day the blond had committed to training and all the monsters he had slain along side his knight, having once even gone as far as to save Sir Eli from a swarm of moblins. The young man had even developed his own sword technique, he called it the spin.

After adorning the last of his ceremonial armor, Erol tied…."

"_Excuse me Impa, I think you skipped part of the story," Link interrupted, sitting cross legged on the Princess's canopy bed._

"_I assure you, I am reading directly from the text," Impa responded, staring over the book at the boy._

"_But isn't he supposed to be an important knight. All he's done is train and fight off a few Moblins, I'm just not sure if I understand why it's so impressive. Are you sure he didn't fight off a dragon or defeat a powerful wizard?"_

"_Link, you must remember that not everyone can pick up a sword one day and be an expert. For most, the road to accomplishment is long and tiring," the warrior spoke from personal experience then dug her nose back into the book, not bothering to wait for the young hero's response._

"After adorning the last of his ceremonial armor, Erol tied back his blond hair in a small tight tail at his neck and took one last glace in the tiny mirror that was provided for him in the castle. With a deep breath, Erol opened the wooden door to the hallway and began his trek towards the castle's main hall, the heavy armor weighting on his legs. It was clear that he was not the only knight to be that day as at least a dozen other young men accompanied by older men walked down the corridor in partial armor, numbers one did not often see as most Knights and their squires tended to spend their time away from the castle on their quests of their own.

Sir Eli was no where in sight and Erol was well aware that he needed to be on his way. And so, he clanked forward hoping to travel with another group. A pair of identical twins and their master were the first that he encountered on his search. Though he had never met them formally, he had heard reports of them from his father; apparently, the two had refused to take separate teachers years before and caused quite a fuss at the time. As expected, such a tight bond could not easily be broken, and as Erol approached, the men hastened their speed.

"I did not, believe you wouldst be ready so soon," Sir Eli chimed in from behind, surprising his progeny, "Come, let us go to the great hall, your coronation should begin shortly."

Erol's long ears perked up at the sound of his mentor's voice, his blue eyes following after him, "Of course."

* * *

'One hundred forty-three, one hundred forty-four, one hundred forty-five…' the Princess counted in her mind as her chambermaid brushed her long, golden hair. It was a relief to know that the end of her three hour dressing routine was nigh, but, as always, a long and tedious ceremony was sure to follow. However, over the past three years, Princess Zelda had grown quite accustomed to them, making sure to nod at the proper time and listen intently, though at times she suspected that her father might not actually be saying anything at all in his speeches.

Today, she was to accompany her family for the annual knighting ceremony. Apparently, one of the men had done something spectacular, though Nayru knew the girl could not remember what it was.

Zelda smiled warmly at the young girl as the hundred and fiftieth stroke when through her hair. "Thank you very much," the royal spoke. The girl simply curtsied then left the young woman to her business. With a gentle sigh, Zelda confronted the girl in the mirror as she put on the finishing touches to her dress, a large sapphire broach and, of course, her royal, silver tiara.

The jewelry had barely been in place for a moment when there was a knock on her door, "Your Highness, it is almost time for the knighting coronation."

"Of course, I shall be there in a moment."

* * *

Erol watched in awe as the princess entered the grand hall. She seemed to float on air as her long, purple gown flowed behind her. Her face was calm and focused as she ascended the steps to join the King and Queen on their alter, along with Erol's father, the kingdom's magical advisor, and a few choice dignitaries. At last now the ceremony could begin.

It was Erol's father who was first to speak. He spoke over the many yeas they had spent training for that moment, his own memories of his childhood, tales that though Erol himself had heard many times over, seemed to intrigue his fellow knights to be.

It was a full turn of the hourglass at least before the actual knighting began. They were each called up one by one, and much to the annoyance of the other dozen squires, the son of the leader of the court guard was the first to be called to their king's side. With a ceremonial sword in hand, the Kin lightly tapped each of the boy's shoulders, "I knight thee, Sir Erol of Hyrule."

Out of respect, the blond knight bowed his head in subservience then proceeded down the alter as the next man was called forth. One by one they were knighted, and one by one they return to the ground to kneel.

"In this time of war, it pleases me greatly to see so many young men devoted to their kingdom…" the King began as the last of the knights returned. However, he had hardly gotten through his first sentence when the sounds of shout penetrated the hall.

"Ah, where did he go??" "Intruder!" Each knight in turn removed his sword from its sheath and faced the door, preparing to protect the royal family, their first act in service. Within the blink of an eye, a strange blur seemed to pass right through their barrier, so strange in fact, that each had convinced themselves it was only their imagination, that is, until a new voice spoke up from behind them.

"I did not mean to intrude, but I must speak with you as soon as possible," the young man stated, ignoring the traditional pleasantries.

The King stared down in outrage at the boy who dared to speak to him in such a manner, whom wore the clothes of a commoner within his court, "Who are you that you believe that you may break into my chambers and then ask a favor of me?"

"I am Theo, a seer, and I come to you with a warning," the adolescent spoke, brushing back his long bangs.

The Princess's eyes widened at the boy's name. Though in the three years since last they met, he had grown much taller, his voice had deepened to that of a tenor, and his hair was now down to his shoulders, partially tied back in a long pony tail, the princess was certain this was the same boy. The same disregard for etiquette, the same worn out clothes, the same blue eyes that seemed to hold more knowledge then they let on.

As his daughter studied the boy, the King turned to his magical advisor, "Do you believe the boy?"

"It is clear to me that he is quite powerful, your majesty, but I have never heard of a seer named Theo, and I keep very good records," the man spoke, leaning against his staff, more out of prestige then any need for assistance. At thirty four years old, the man was not quite old enough for back problems.

"As I thought. Guards! That this boy away!" the royal ordered.

Theo prepared to slow down time once more, but before he had time to react, a feminine voice echoed through the room, "Wait father, I know this boy. He speaks the truth." Theo stared up at the princess, and for a moment their eyes met and each smiled at the other, an exchange that the Queen took blatant notice of.

"Fine, you may speak child. Tell me, what is it that you have seen?" King Alphonse Hyrule spoke, holding back on his curiosity as to how his daughter came into acquaintance with this commoner, not wishing to make a scene amongst so many of his followers.

"I have seen a great darkness hovering over the land of Hyrule. Even as we speak these clouds are growing, consuming your kingdom."

"The Calatians?" the royal asked, reports of a recent loss still in his mind.

"No, though I do not doubt that they maybe hastening the darkness," all eyes were on the seer as he spoke these words, "I believe, that in these times of crisis, the desire to find an end are beginning to take over the people's minds, a desire that can only be fulfilled with the power the goddesses left behind. I believe that if this power is not returned to the sacred realm soon and sealed away, the temptation will grow to great and it's power will be abused, and within greedy hands, the golden power shall bring despair to this land."

A general air of disbelief swarmed about the room at the peasant's outrageous suggestion. To seal away the Triforce, the golden power which was rightfully theirs was nothing short of blasphemy. The King's face turned red in rage, but before the man had a chance to open his mouth, his daughter had already interrupted, "What then do you suggest we do?"

"In my dream, I saw six lights on the horizon. When they gathered together, the clouds disappeared along with the golden light, replaced by a new light of hope that brightened the sky. I believe that I am meant to gather together these powers from across the world and I wish for seven of your knights to accompany me for this journey."

"Out of the question, I shall give you nothing!" the king retorted, still planted on his throne.

"Father, what he says makes sense. Perhaps the Triforce was not meant to remain in mortal hands," Zelda spoke up.

The King was about to respond when he felt his wife's hand on his own, "She will someday take over when we are gone. Perhaps allowing shall prove a suitable test of her decision making skills."

The King nodded, causing the princess to smile inwardly, believing that perhaps at last her father had begun to respect her. Unfortunately, this was not the case as the King whispered to the head of his court guard, silently enough to avoid even Hylian ears, "Just give the child some of our more expendable knights. The seer will most likely be killed in the first battle and they can return home." Erol's father nodded with a smirk. "You have heard the boy, Serkan. Choose the seven you think best prepared for this mission," the King proclaimed loudly for the room of knights to hear.

Serkan began to think through who would be the best choices. Not one was particularly uncoordinated, for if they were, their training would have been terminated long ago. They would have to be fairly inexperienced, a year at most, and would need to contribute little in terms of teamwork. As he looked through the knights who lined the wall, one stuck out almost immediately and had already proven himself insubordinate. Just one month before he had refused to take on a squire, stating that he had trained for to many years to be reduced to watching a child, "Sir Wyatt."

By now the new knights were already lined up across the wall, and so, a lone man approached the alter. He was wearing a full suit of armor, sans a helmet, with his cape flowing behind. His hair was a light brown and matching stubble appeared across his chin, "I thank you and promise to do all in my power."

Once again the captain searched through the line, this time choosing a dark skinned knight, a half breed of the people of the desert, "Sir Tobias."

Silently, the man approached the alter took a knee in respect, uttering not a word as his dark bangs fell over his tanned face. After a respectable amount of time elapsed, Tobias rose to his feet and joined his fellow knight.

The third to be chosen was a fairly handsome knight whom was unfortunately aware of this fact. His brown hair was slicked back, with the exception of a few strands around his ears and his slight widow's peak, "Sir Ethan."

A cocky smirk appeared on the knight's face as he walked towards center of the room, a manly stride in his step, "I shall aide in any way I can."

With three experienced knights already chosen, Serkan knew it was now safe to begin on the newly knighted warriors. Though he had no true experience with any one of them as of yet, he had received full reports just the day before from their respective mentors. He went over the words in his mind as he stared down each man. The first three, his son being on of them, were all model knights, chivalrous and brave, obedient and loyal. The next two, a pair of twins, however were not quite as obedient. It was not entirely that they were not willing to listen when spoken to, simply that they each felt the need to conference with the other before making a move, trusting each other's opinion above that of a superior officer. In other words, useless in terms of teamwork. "Sir Leo and Sir Aries."

The two young men walked in tandem, kneeling together in front of their captain. For a moment, the men looked into the other's green eyes then faced forward, "Thank you…" "For this honor…" "We shall not fail."

The sixth man, true to his teacher's word, seemed to be staring at the tapestries, his attention span being minimal. From time to time, his eyes would dart forward, but not even a minute would pass before his head had turned, "Sir Robin."

It took Robin a moment before he realized the name that had been called was his own, Almost tripping over his feet as he went to move. By first instinct, the knight walked towards the other five, but at the last instant, realized he had forgotten his manners and took a knee.

Now for the final knight. Amongst the new recruits he stood, a tall brunette, standing half a head taller then the captain himself. He was fairly good at following orders, but when it came to following through, the man had a habit of falling short. "Sir…

"Father, I volunteer to take on this mission," Erol spoke up. This was his chance to prove himself, to prove that he had earned the right to be knighted a full two years early on his own, without the assistance of his father.

Both the king's and his most valued knight's eyes widened at the boy's proclamation. If Serkan were to turn down his son's request and chose the other knight, either his fellow knight's would become suspicious and realize that he was gathering together a doomed team, or they would believe that he was playing favorites, not allowing his son off into battle from fear he may be injured, and Erol would never be able to gain their respect. On the other hand, if Serkan did send his son off into battle, there was indeed a great chance he may be seriously injured, making him useless to the kingdom. In the end however, he realized that this was his only course of action and nodded.

Meanwhile, the Princess fought against her eyebrow, stopping it from rising as she stared at the two bewildered men. It was not so much the knight that had made her curious, after all, the young man had referred to him as father, it would only make sense that he would have his own trepidations about sending his son off to battle, no, it was her father's reaction that had startled the Princess. Why would he be worried about a boy he barely knew?

For a moment, she toyed with the idea that perhaps this was empathy. Perhaps because the King himself had lost a son, he did not wish to watch another man loose his. But that was simply foolishness; her father was not the type to take on the personal burdens of those below him. Then why? The answer came upon further examination of the knight as he kneeled in front of them. The man was young, at least younger then the others. His features were still soft as one whom had not finished their growth. In order for one to become a knight so early, he must have had a great deal of talent, and the only reason that a king would be disappointed that such a man wanted to join a mission would be if he wanted it to fail.

For reasons unknown even to herself, Zelda felt her eyes being drawn towards Theo, whom was rudely leaning against a wall as his army was being assemble. Her eyes rested on him for not even a moment before the boy turned towards her and nodded. It would seem he had come to the same conclusion. Zelda knew that she must do something about this. Her father had no right to toy with people's lives in such a way, but what could she do? She had no true power or influence, she was still but sixteen. _'That wouldn't have stopped Asher,'_ the Princess thought despite herself. Her brother would have marched right up to the assembly and told them the truth, or board up the stables so that the troupe would have had no way to travel and would need to stay behind, or most likely of all…

Zelda now knew what she had to do and walked towards the head of the alter, "We thank you dearly for what you are about to do, not just for the royal family, but for all of Hyrule. I am certain that I speak not just for myself, but for my father as well when I say that the fate of our kingdom is in safe hands," at this point, the Princess turned back to smile at her father whom believed in the innocent nature of his daughter's speech, then returned to the assembly of knights, "and it is for this reason that I am sure that I can put my own life into your capable hands without fear. I believe that one cannot become a benevolent ruler without first knowing what is in the hearts of the people, something that cannot be obtained behind castle walls. And so, I wish to join in your mission and travel the world. That is of course, unless there is something my father wishes to tell me."

The King found himself frozen in his thrown as his soul remaining child spoke of her ambitions. He could not allow this to happen, but if he were to turn her down, his court would believe him to have little faith in them and would sever their ties of loyalty. He felt a strange kinship to the knight beside him as he slowly lifted his chin then left it to fall.

"Alphonse, you cannot let her do this," the queen whispered bitterly into her husband's ear, "We cannot let her throw her life away for over a maiden infatuation."

"It would seem that the matter is out of my hands," he replied softly as his child took her first step down the platform, away from her family and towards the young seer whom was moving forward to meet her.

It was not until the Princess's feet had at last touched the marble floors that Theo spoke, "We will leave within the hour." With those words, the seven knights walked in line with one another out of the now silent hall, followed behind by the Princess and the seer.

Only once they were out the door did the group separate, each member going off to gather their separate belongings. However as Erol turned, he felt something clasp his hand. It was the seer, "You wish to speak with me?"

"Yes, I would like to thank you. Out of you seven, you were the only one to volunteer to aid me, and for that I am grateful, even if you had your own personal motives." Theo removed the small burlap bag strapped through his back and began to rummage through it, eventually removing from it, his ocarina, "I do not have much, but I would like to give you this as a token of my thanks."

Erol looked down at the blue instrument then back at the younger boy, "I shall cherish it always," and with those words, a bond was created by those whom history would remember as the Sage and Knight of Time."

* * *

**Alright, all done with Book of Time, next up...Book of Spirit.**


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